Should Anyone Object
by Mac-alicious
Summary: Blair receives an unexpected visitor just before she is meant to walk down the aisle.


**Should Anyone Object**

Blair sat in front of a vanity mirror in the bride's room. She examined her features critically before letting out a small sigh. She picked up a tube of lipstick, and spread a fresh coat across her lips. She could see the door to the room slip open in the reflection of the mirror. She watched as Serena tried to slide in without opening the door too far and avoiding the disaster of getting her dress caught when she closed it behind her. Blair took a deep breath and let the mask settle back in across her features.

"It's about time," Blair snapped. "Where have you been? I need you to help me get my veil on."

Serena grabbed the veil off its stand and brought it over to Blair. She began to settle it on Blair's head, then reached over to the vanity to collect the pins to secure it in place. Blair watched the activities in the mirror and caught Serena sparing a nervous glance at Blair's mother, who, on the other side of the room, was flittering about making last minute checks on the other bridesmaids' dresses. Serena finished putting the veil in place and leaned in to whisper in Blair's ear.

"I'm sorry I was being such a bad maid of honor, but Eric pulled me away because you have a guest," Serena explained.

Blair frowned momentarily , then forced the expression off her face not wanting to create any creases in her makeup, "Yes, I have _five hundred _of then waiting outside those doors."

"One your mother wouldn't appreciate," Serena remained vague.

"Who?" Blair demanded louder than she had intended. It drew the attention of her mother and caused Serena to step back without answering. Blair turned to her mother, "Mother, could you do me a favor? Could you check that all the guests are properly seated?" Eleanor nodded and began to leave the room. Before she was out the door, Blair continued, "And could you all give me a moment alone with my Maid of Honor? Send Daddy when it's time."

Once the room was empty besides Blair and herself, Serena moved to the second door, which led outside of the church and opened it for whoever this mystery guest was. He stepped inside and upon the widening of Blair's eyes, Serena replied, "I'll be just outside if you need me. I'm going to find Nate."

Blair pushed herself out of her chair and situated her dress so she could stand. Then she caught his eye and said, "I didn't think you would accept the invitation, Chuck."

"You're my oldest and dearest friend Blair. How could I miss it?" Chuck raised an eyebrow as he walked further into the room.

"When did you get back to New York?" Blair asked. Last she had heard he had been globetrotting, checking in on each base of his father's—no, _his_—company.

"This morning. I had just enough time to visit the Palace bar toe have a couple drinks before coming here," Chuck answered. "Figured I would need the liquid courage if I was going to face you again."

"I was never angry with you for leaving, Chuck. If you hadn't left the city, I probably would have run too. Our last break up left my world upside down and spinning out of control, we needed the distance between us. I can't fault you for being the one to initiate it," Blair knew she was on the verge of rambling but this was everything she had been waiting to say for years. "I just didn't think you would be gone so long. I though you would have come home after you had moved on."

"Blair, you have to understand—"

Blair cut him off abruptly, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes, "We were never meant to be together, were we?"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Blair. The reason I never came back before was because I never moved on. You are the only woman I have ever felt anything for, you're the only one I've ever loved. You wormed your way into my heart and claimed ever inch of it as yours. It's always been like that with you—accept all or nothing," Chuck responded, "But I wasn't ready to give you everything. I'm sorry I was so afraid."

"You're not…" Blair stammered, "You still…"

"Look, I can see that you've moved on. I can see that you're happy. I don't want to ruin your big day. So, no tears," Chuck walked all the way up to stand in front of her. He reached up and gently brushed away the few tears that had fallen. Blair's whole body vibrated at the intensity and intimacy of the gesture. "There. Now I'll be right up front, ready to offer my congratulations to the bride and groom."

'You would like him," Blair choked out.

"You chose him," Chuck replied, "How could I not?"

Then he had pulled his hand away from her face and disappeared out the door into the church. Blair reached up to touch her face where he had. She actually felt disappointed at the loss of contact. She realized she had missed the simple feel of his skin. She could remember some moments from there last attempt at a real relationship vividly. Their relationship in high school had been unstable, suffering from extreme highs and extreme lows. After they graduated, they had tried one last time to capture a normal relationship together. That time had been different—more stable, mature and _healthy_. She could remember moments when he would brush the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, or when they were laying together he would stroke a ring around her wrist and as they were together longer, he shifted to her ring finger. She would revel in that simple touch. Her new fiancé never touched her in such a way. Her fiancé was intimate and passionate but he had never been able to be so close to her as to allow _just _that simple skin to skin contact.

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, a sob broke free of her throat. Her hands were shaking as she returned to her chair. She remembered feeling this way more than once before in regards to Chuck. She remembered feeling this overwhelming, aching loss. But unlike before, she now had to give up his promise of someday for her promise of forever to another. She wasn't sure if she was prepared to do that.

There was a knock on the door, and her father's voice piped up, "Blair bear, it's almost time. Are you ready?"

Blair sucked in a deep breath, "I need Serena. Get me Serena."

"Okay, honey. Is something wrong?"

"Just get Serena, please," Blair repeated, wincing at the pleading quality her voice took on.

Moments later, Serena was reentering the room, "What happened?"

Blair looked Serena in the eyes as she kneeled in front of her chair, "He still loves me."

"Did he ask you to call off the wedding?" Serena questioned.

"No," Blair shook her head. "But he still loves me Serena."

"But you're getting married today. You've moved on. You love Mitchell don't you?" Serena did her best to calm Blair, assuming she had cold feet.

"I do," Blair agreed. "I love him the way you love Nate. Enough for it to be real, to be genuine, but it will never be the way you loved Dan. The way you loved Dan was earth shattering, nothing else compared…That's the way it was with Chuck and me."

"Dan and I broke up because we didn't work. We've both moved on now. It should be the same for you and Chuck. You can both move on and be happy with other people," Serena responded.

"Happy enough," Blair whispered.

"Yes, happy enough," Serena agreed, with a frown.

"It's always been all or nothing with me, though," Blair murmured so Serena couldn't hear. Then she spoke louder, "Do you know why we broke up Serena?"

"No. You wouldn't talk to me about it. So I never brought it up. Chuck was out of the country and then you met Mitchell and it didn't matter anymore," Serena answered, still trying to steer B lair's thoughts toward the man waiting at the end of the aisle for her.

"I made the mistake of starting a conversation about the future—about marriage and children. I was surprised that he was open for it. He didn't freak out or anything. I thought he had grown up. And I wasn't completely wrong," Blair lowered his eyes. "He bought me a ring Serena. He told me that the night we broke up. He showed it to me. It was beautiful S. More beautiful than the Vanderbilt ring I coveted for so long. I never wanted a ring so badly in my life. But he didn't propose. He broke up with me. He said he had to because he realized while carrying that ring around that he wasn't sure he ever wanted to get married. He said I deserved to get everything I wanted. He said I wanted to be a wife and mother and he was certain he couldn't give that to me. I was certain I only wanted him. I told him that we didn't have to get married, that I didn't need a piece of paper to prove we were committed. I told him that we didn't have to have kids, that I would be okay if I could just have him. He wouldn't listen to me. He said I was lying and that I shouldn't have to turn my back on what I wanted for him."

"Blair, you know it's almost time…"

"It took me right back to Senior year, right after his father died. 'Stop playing wife' he said. God, it broke my heart Serena," Blair sighed. Then she began to sort through the makeup on the vanity table so she could make a few touchups, "But I guess he was right. Because I am getting everything I ever wanted and I couldn't be happier."

Serena frowned, "If you want to call off the wedding, if you're not happy…tell me right now and I will—"

"No Serena," Blair shook her head. "I gave my word to Mitchell."

"Okay," Serena responded, "Then it's time."

Serena helped Blair exit the bride's room to meet with her father in the small corridor leading to the entrance of the church. Serena left Blair with her father and moved along to take her place behind the rest of Blair's bridesmaids. As her father took her arm to guide her, Blair took a deep breath. She was actually going through with it. She was finally going to be married. It was right. It _was _right. It was _right._ The voice inside her that was screaming it was wrong was strangled until its hoarse murmurs could be heard no more.

Suddenly, the bridal march filled her ears and it was only then that she realized that Serena and her bridesmaids had departed down the aisle and her father was leading her toward Mitchell. It was really happening. Blair forced a content smile onto her face as she acknowledged guests on either side of her. Her father was making soft assurances only she could hear and she responded with all the right answers. Then as they neared the front of the church her gaze locked on Chuck's. He was sitting in the third row alongside Nate, Serena's mother and brother, and the Humphreys—who Blair had begrudgingly invited as a courtesy to Serena and Lily. Chuck smiled at her and nodded his encouragement. In that moment, Blair's stomach jumped into her throat. She was overwhelmed by a dizzy nausea. Before she had a chance to collect herself, her father was handing her over to Mitchell.

Blair swallowed down the anxious terror and smiled at Mitchell. He grinned back far too widely. She wondered if he needed to force the expression as much as she did. Before she had the time to dwell on thoughts of why Mitchell might have to force a smile at his wedding, the minister had begun to perform the ceremony. Nothing he was saying registered on Blair's consciousness, however. The only part that seemed to break through was 'should anyone object…'

Blair knew, in all honesty, that at least half a dozen hands should have shot in the air when the subject, of those who object to her marrying Mitchell, was broached. Serena had played the part of the perfect Maid of Honor because she thought it was what Blair wanted, but Blair knew Serena was not the biggest fan of Mitchell. She had made it clear the first time she met him that she thought Blair had become attached to him because he was the first decent guy to come around after Chuck. Blair couldn't say that Serena was wrong. Since he had began dating Serena, Blair and Nate had grown to accept that they were just friends—and as any good friend would be, Nate was worried that Blair was rushing into a wedding because she was afraid if she let it stew for too long she would realize it was wrong. Again Blair wasn't sure he was wrong. It was obvious Dorota had disapproved. She had been bringing up Mister Chuck a lot in the past weeks and had been the one to convince Blair to forward him an invitation. Her father would never say anything but she had seen the look on both his and Roman's faces. They were surprised that she had accepted the proposal and thought things had moved forward all too quickly. And despite Chuck's implied blessing, she couldn't believe that he was content to see a woman he loved marry someone else. The only person Blair knew that was completely happy with the situation was her mother, and that in itself was a cause for objection. But the minister was coming close to asking her for her 'I do…'

"I can't," Blair whispered. She had her eyes closed and head tilted toward the floor.

"What's that my dear?" The minister murmured so the rest of the church couldn't hear.

Blair raised her head to look at Mitchell, who was staring at her with his brow furrowed. She shook her head slightly and repeated, "I can't."

She could hear the low hum of murmurs as everyone in the church began to talk at once. Mitchell looked taken aback, but not too upset. When she chanced a glance at the guests, she found a number of small smiles trying to be repressed on her side and one smirk three rows back. Mitchell cleared his throat, catching her attention and returning it to him.

"You couldn't have figured that out a little sooner?" Mitchell replied.

"I'm sorry. This just isn't right…I…I'm in love with someone else. I thought this was what I wanted, but its not. I'm so sorry," Blair tried to explain.

"Fine," Mitchell nodded, "Fair enough. I'm not sure this was what I wanted either. I'm not ready to be married…but your mother insisted you were ready to settle down."

"I should have known," Blair responded. She sighed, "I truly am sorry. I did care for you deeply."

"I understand," Mitchell said. Blair began to step down from the altar, when he stopped her, "Wait, just tell me one thing. This other guy you're in love with…"

"I wasn't cheating on you," Blair replied instantly.

"No, I know that," Mitchell waved it off, "If he asked you to marry him right now, you would say…?"

Blair thought about it a moment, and when she spoke she was perfectly confident in her answer, "Yes, I would say yes."

Mitchell nodded, "That actually makes this easier. At least I know he's the right one for you."

Mitchell stepped close to Blair and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Instead of allowing her to leave, he had her stay while he began to walk back up the aisle. Blair watched as he left, followed by a few of his family members and his portion of the wedding party. The next thing she knew she was surrounded by people.

"Blair, what in the world are you thinking? You can't just let him go…" Her mother screeched.

Her father put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You did the right thing, B lair bear."

"I had a feeling you wouldn't make it through the ceremony…" Serena began.

Nate chuckled, "You should have taken the bet, you would have won."

But Blair's eyes were still focused on where the aisle had been in her view. It was now obscured by multitudes of people. Something told her, however, that he was standing somewhere in front of her. Shaking off her most eager commentators, she gathered her dress up and pushed forward. She moved through the crowd and eventually it parted for her. It opened up and he was standing at the center of the aisle, his eyes locked on her. She couldn't prevent herself from doing what she did next. She closed the distance between them, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer so he could deepen the kiss. Never had she been more certain of what she wanted.

Chuck pulled away to murmur against her ear, "Not exactly the reaction I expected from a woman who just called off her wedding."

"I realized that while many people objected to this marriage, no one was going to speak up unless they knew I objected too. I couldn't marry him when all I could think about was how I wished it was you," Blair explained, "You told me once you couldn't give me what I wanted, but you were wrong. You are the _only one _who can give me what I want."

"And I'm ready and willing to do that," Chuck responded, stepping back away from her. It became clear to her as they separated that he had something clutched securely in his hand. "This is yours. It's always belonged to you." Chuck opened his hand to reveal the same ring he had shown her so long before. "What do you say, Waldorf?"

Blair smiled the first genuine smile, "Yes. I say yes."

-+-+-+-+-

The second time Blair Waldorf stood at the altar, when the minister asked 'should anyone object', there was not a soul in the room who would have spoken a defiant word.


End file.
